Haras de Meautry in Touques,

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, is a

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

horse breeding

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

. It was acquired in the 19th century by

horse-racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

enthusiast Alphonse James de Rothschild (1827–1905) who passed it down to his

offspring In biology, offspring are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by a single organism or, in the case of sexual reproduction, two organisms. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny in a more general way. This ca ...

so that today it is in the hands of Édouard de Rothschild ( 1957). Numerous stud farms can be found in the area and four kilometers away in

Deauville Deauville () is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its harbour, race course, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino, and sumptuous hotels. The first Deauville Asian Film F ...

are two

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...

s, the Deauville-Clairefontaine Racecourse and the

Deauville-La Touques Racecourse Hippodrome Deauville-La Touques is a race track for thoroughbred horse racing located in Deauville in the Calvados département, in the Normandy '' région'' of France. Originally called Hippodrome de la Touques, it was named for the Touques River ...

. Over the years, Haras de Meautry has produced a number of champion horses including: * Brantôme ( 1931) * Bubbles ( 1925) * Eclair au Chocolat ( 1935 – taken by the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

s during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

) *

Exbury Exbury is a village in Hampshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Exbury and Lepe. It lies just in the New Forest, near the Beaulieu River and about a mile from the Solent coast. It is best known as the location of Exbury House, built by ...

( 1959) * Heaume ( 1887) * La Farina ( 1911) * Stracchino ( 1874) * Le Roi Soleil ( 1895) * Sans Souci II ( 1904) *

Vieux Manoir {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Vieux Manoir , image = , caption = , sire = Brantôme , grandsire = Blandford , dam = Vieille Maison , damsire = Finglas , sex = Stallion , foaled = 1947 , country = France , colour = Bay , bree ...

( 1947) * Indian Danehill ( 1996) One of the most famous of the Rothschild horses was Brantôme, owned by Edouard Alphonse de Rothschild, the then owner of Haras de Meautry. Brantôme was unbeaten at ages 2 and 3 and is ranked among the best French horses ever. The colt won the French 2000 Guineas; the Prix Lupin, the

Prix Royal-Oak The Prix Royal-Oak is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 3,100 metres (about 1 mile and 7½ furlongs), a ...

, the most prestigious 1934

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

plus eight other significant races. During the German occupation of France during World War II, all breeders' premiums won by Meautry-bred horses were confiscated by the

officials in charge of French racing. As well, the Nazis seized some of the best racehorses in the country and shipped more than six hundred thoroughbreds out of the country. Some went to

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

, but most were shipped to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for racing or for breeding at the ''Heeresgestüt Altefeld'', which belonged to the German

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

. Among them was the champion Brantôme who would be recovered in 1945 at the end of the War. Other Rothschild-owned horses won the

Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and i ...

in 1909 and 1914 and claimed victory in a number of other important Stakes races including two more wins at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1938 and 1963. The stables' filly, England's Legend, was one of the favorites for the 2001

Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf The Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for fillies and mares, three years old and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States as part of the Breeders' Cup World Champion ...

but faded badly to finish 11th.

Classic Race wins

: 1934, 1938, 1963 *

Prix du Jockey Club The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Chantilly over ...

: 1876, 1890, 1977 *

Prix de Diane The Prix de Diane, sometimes referred to as the French Oaks, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 2,100 met ...

: 1878, 1889, 1894, 1919, 1920, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1957, 1960, 1961 *

: 1898, 1907, 1935, 1950, 1964, 1979, 1982

References

* See the list of references at:

Rothschild banking family of France The Rothschild banking family of France (french: Famille banquière Rothschild) is a French banking dynasty founded in 1812 in Paris (at the time in the First French Empire) by James Mayer de Rothschild (1792–1868). James was sent there from ...

External links

*
Video of Haras de Meautry with Guy de Rothschild
{{coord, 49, 20, 31, N, 0, 6, 16, E, type:landmark_region:FR-14, display=title French racehorse owners and breeders Horse farms in France Buildings and structures in Calvados (department) Rothschild family residences